Anyone had experience - good or bad - with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)?

Question

My stepdaughter is bipolar. She lives with her mother in another state. She is 22 yrs old. She is now receiving ECT and it seems that each time we talk with her, her response is slower and slower. We've asked her why she is having it - she doesn't know why. She has never been disfunctional with the bipolar until now. With the ECT, she seems to not care about anything. She doesn't work, she doesn't have friends, she doesn't go to the store or anything. Her mom wants her as a baby for the rest of her life so we don't know if it is the ECT or that her mom is finally getting what she wants. Anyway, I have read alot on ECT but would love to hear some experiences of those who have either had it or had loved ones experience it. Thanks.

Answer 1

ECT is a "last resort" usually. USUALLY. Insurance companies like it because it is quick, cheap and effective.

On the plus side ... IF it is warranted . . . not everyone is really a good candidate for ECT, it does work. Short term memory is compromised but it beats the alternative of suicide, catatonic states, and self-injurious behaviors.

She indeed may not know why. The father (unless there has been a release of information to you) needs to have a long talk with the person who made the recommendation. Also read up on ECT .... look especially for the literature that suggests that "unipolar" ECT and shorter and less frequent "sessions" are more effective than extended "sessions" and "bi-polar" applications.

The way I used unipolar and bipolar above refers to whether the ECT is applied through connection to one side of the head (unipolar) .... or two sides of the head (bipolar). It doesn't refer to your stepdaughter's mood disorder.

Answer 2

electro convulsive therapy (ECT) replaced electro shock therapy in 1968 with the development of the ability to have the person be sedated without stopping their respiratory system. There is no "arching" of the body when it is administered any longer. The memory loss is usually restricted to the morning of the treatment, no effect on long term memory. We don't know exactly why it works, but we also don't know exactly why psych meds work either. It is usually applied for 10-12 times spaced at least 2 days apart: about 3 per week. It can be done on an out-patient basis as well. Usually there is a need for annual follow-up, with fewer treatments given. ECT is safer, in the elderly, than psych meds. It is the first choice for some persons, especially elderly persons and medication-resistant persons. Some people have very significant recoveries from ECT. It is one more tool for use in meaningful psychiatric situations. It is much more common than people realize.

Answer 3

I haven't had it, but I have talked to doctors at a place I used to work about it...
It's really strange that your step-daughter is getting ECT. ECT is pretty much never used anymore--it's usually only used on very violent, hopeless cases, and bipolar disorder is rarely serious enough to be like this. It is also not a permanent solution, really, and can screw you up. ECT does indeed make you slow--mentally and physically and just in general. I once read (I think in "The Bell Jar"?) that if you've had ECT and a thought floats into your consciousness, you try to grasp it and you can't--it's like the rope just gets pulled right through your hands.
Side affects also include confusion, memory loss (very common), brain damage, seizures, and even death.
You should seek a professional opinion. If you still think ECT is not good for your step-daughter (which it probably isn't), you can talk to the mother and/or hire a lawyer.

Answer 4

It takes a while to recover from ECT. It basically scrambles your brain and disrupts your memory and thinking. I had a friend whose mother had severe depression and in her time ECT was the only thing that worked. She would recover, but she recovered less and less well over time. I saw another person who had had over 90 ECT treatments. She had difficulty. But I have also seen people who have been on medication for a long time, and they also have problems. Usually doctors use ECT as a last resort.